News – Page 2 – Christine Prokop

Publication JPART March 2018

Are future bureaucrats more risk averse? The effect of studying public administration and PSM on risk preferences (with Markus Tepe)

Abstract:

This study tests the effect of studying public administration and self-reported Public Service Motivation (PSM) on risk preferences. We conduct a compound lottery choice experiment with monetary rewards to measure risk behavior and a post-experiment survey to measure risk attitudes and PSM on three student subject pools. Empirical findings suggest that: First, students of public administration consider themselves more risk averse, but they do not behave more risk averse in the compound lottery choice experiment than business sciences and law students. Second, self-reported PSM is positively associated with risk-averse behavior in the compound lottery choice experiment. Thus, contrary to the popular stereotypical description of bureaucratic behavior, there are no substantive differences in risk behavior among future bureaucrats compared to other student groups.

PSA Annual Conference, 2018

Presenting joint work with Michael Jankowski and Markus Tepe titled “Discrimination in Public Hiring? Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment among Citizens and Future Bureaucrats” on the annual conference of the Political Studies Association in Cardiff/Wales from 26.-28. March 2018.

DAAD grant approved

I am very grateful to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) approving my grant for a two month research stay at the School of Public Affairs and Administration Rutgers University, Newark/New Jersey, USA (3,800 Euro).

Book chapter from Cambridge University Press in July 2017

Out now: Experiments in Public Administration Research: Challenges and Contributions, edited by Oliver James, Sebastian Jilke, and Gregg Van Ryzin. Together with Markus Tepe I contributed the chapter “Laboratory Experiments: Their Potential for Public Management Research”

ECPR General Conference, 2017

Presenting joint work with Markus Tepe titled “Are future bureaucrats more punishing? The Effect of PSM and studying Public Administration on Contributions and Punishment in the Public Goods Game” on the annual conference of the European Consortium of Political Research in Oslo from September 2017.

EPSA General Conference, 2017

Presenting joint work with Markus Tepe titled “Advocating the public good? Comparing students of Public Administration and Business Science in a public goods game with and without punishment” on the annual conference of the European Political Science Association in Milano/Italy in June 2017.

IJHRM special issue seminar, 2015

Presenting joint work with Bernhard Kittel and Markus Tepe titled “What matters most? How the type and length of service provision conditions the effect of public sector employment on PSM” IJHRM Special Issue Seminar Strategic Human Resource Management and Public Sector Performance at the Utrecht University School of Governance/The Netherlands in May 2015.

IIAS Study Group on Trust and Public Attitudes, 2014

Presenting the study “Let the bureaucrats decide? Exploring the Relationship between Risk Behavior and Public Service Motivation” (with Markus Tepe) on the IIAS Study Group III : Trust and Public Attitudes, Citizen Attitudes and Behaviors from an Experimental Perspective
Towards an Experimental Public Administration?, in September, 2014 prior to the EGPA annual conference in Speyer, Germany.

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Publication Verwaltung und Management, 2013

Sicher ist sicher? Ein laborexperimenteller Vergleich der Risikopräferenzen von Studierenden der öffentlichen Verwaltung mit Studierenden der Wirtschafts- und der Rechtswissenschaften (Safe is safe? A behavioral experiment on risk attitudes and risk behavior among students of public administration, business sciences, and law), Verwaltung und Management, (6) 2013: 302-312, with Markus Tepe (without peer-review)

Zusammenfassung:

Verwaltung und Management bedeutet regelmäßig, unter Risiko zu entscheiden. Dem öffentlichen Dienst wird nachgesagt, dass er Individuen anzieht, die sich in solchen Situationen systematisch risikoscheuer verhalten als ihre Kollegen im Privatsektor. Dieser Beitrag überprüft die empirische Validität dieser Behauptung. Zur Messung des Risikoverhaltens wurde ein monetär incentiviertes Lotterie-Auswahl-Spiel mit insgesamt 208 Studierenden der öffentlichen Verwaltung, der Wirtschafts- und der Rechtswissenschaften durchgeführt. Anschließend wurden die Probanden zu ihren Risikoeinstellungen befragt. Die Daten zeigen, dass sich die Studierenden der öffentlichen Verwaltung selbst als risikoscheuer einschätzen als die Studierenden der Wirtschafts- und der Rechtswissenschaften, sich aber im Lotterie-Auswahl-Spiel nicht risikoscheuer verhalten. Diese Befunde legen nahe, dass die Risikoscheu zwar ein Merkmal des Rollen- und Selbstverständnisses öffentlich Beschäftigter ist, ohne dass sich dieses Merkmal in ihrem Entscheidungsverhalten niederschlägt.

Annual Meeting of the DVPW working group decision theory, 2013

Presenting a collaborative research project together with Markus Tepe employing a series of lab and lab-in-the-field experiments on subject pool effects regarding the micro-motives of public servants at the annual meeting of the DVPW working group decision theory (AK Handlungs- und Entscheidungstheory) in Munich/Germany in May 2013.